Professor of Project Management at SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan joins academic advisory team for PM World Journal and Library

4 May 2016 – Dallas, TX, USA and Milan, Italy – PM World has announced that Prof Marco Sampietro has joined the organization’s academic advisory council for the PM World Journal and PM World Library. Dr Sampietro has been a professor at SDA Bocconi School of Management, Milan, Italy since 2000. He obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Bremen in Germany.

Prof Marco Sampietro is a Core Faculty Member at SDA Bocconi School of Management and teaches Project Management on the MBA – Master of Business Administration, and GEMBA – Global Executive Master of Business Administration programs. He is Faculty Member at MISB – Mumbai International School of Business, the Indian subsidiary of Bocconi University, and Visiting Professor at IHU – International Hellenic University, Greece. He is also a Contract Professor at Bocconi University and Milano Fashion Institute for their Project Management courses.

He was a speaker at the NASA Project Management Challenge 2007, 2008, and 2011, in the USA, and a speaker at the PMI Global European Congress, Italy, 2010. He is a Member of the Steering Committee of IPMA-Italy. He is co-author and/or editor of 11 books on project management and 7 books on IT management. Among them: Empowering Project Teams. Using Project Followership to Improve Performance. CRC Press, 2014. Finally, he is the author of award-winning case studies and papers.

SDA Bocconi School of Management

SDA Bocconi School of Management is the leading School of Management in Italy and the only Italian School present among the first Top European Business Schools in all of the most important International rankings (Financial Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Economist, Forbes). SDA Bocconi School of Management is one of the few business schools in the world to hold the “triple crown” (AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA Accreditation). It is part of Università Bocconi, the first Italian University to grant a degree in economics.

For over a century, Bocconi has played a leading role in Italy’s social and economic modernization. SDA Bocconi has been engaged in the promotion and organization of executive education since 1971, with an international approach. The School’s vision of empowering life through knowledge and imagination lies behind its program offerings: Executive Education Open and Custom Programs, MBA and Master Programs, Research for the development of individuals, companies, institutions and economic systems. SDA Bocconi strong international outlook translated into the foundation of the India-based MISB Bocconi, Mumbai International School of Business Bocconi. The School is an initiative of SDA Bocconi and has been launched in response to the growing competitive challenges on the global stage.

According to David Pells, managing editor of the PM World Journal, “We are honored to have Professor Sampietro join our academic advisory team. We have published several of his papers over the last two years so I have become familiar with his background. He is currently authoring a series of articles for the journal on project management for project team members, an important and often overlooked aspect of managing projects. He previoualy authored a very good book on the subject.“

According to Professor Sampietro, “I am happy to join PM World’s academic advisory team. I respect the quality and professional content of the PM World Journal, and also like their online library. It’s a great source of educational information for our students. I look forward to contributing.”

Pells adds, “Marco has referred several Bocconi graduate students to our research internship program this year, for which we are grateful. The students have made significant contributions, reflecting highly on Prof Sampietro and the university.”

The PM World Journal (PMWJ) is a global resource for sharing knowledge related to portfolio, program and project management (P/PM). The PMWJ is produced and maintained by PM World which also operates the PM World Library (PMWL), a global resource for continuous learning in programme and project management. To see the latest edition of the PMWJ, go to https://www.pmworldjournal.net/. To learn more, visit http://www.pmworldlibrary.net/.

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To bring the International Project Management Association (IPMA®) standards to the United States, facilitators from Poland and the Netherlands joined with the United States facilitator to deliver their insights about this exciting, updated PEB standard. Attendees representing five countries, USA, Canada, Greece, Guatemala and Peru, joined in the workshop.

The PEB, one of many IPMA project and organizational Standards used extensively around the world, was developed by the International Project Management Association for several purposes:

First, trained individuals in organizations use it to assess their range of projects for excellence. This supports the goal of continuous Portfolio, Program, and Project performance improvement.

The Second use of the enhanced assessment process, launched with the Detroit training, is to prepare organizations to enter national project excellence competitions, such as the one held within the United States and hosted by IPMA-USA. To read more about the award process please visit http://www.ipma-usa.org/awards.

Third, global organizations use the Project Excellence Baseline in deciding to apply, for their top projects, for the International Project Management Project Excellence Awards. The Excellence Awards evaluations happen every year, and winners receive their awards at the IPMA World Congresses. Last year’s awards program was in Panama, with attendees from more than 80 nations; ten Award-Winning teams received their Project Excellence Awards. This year, IPMA member associations host Regional Congresses October 16, in Sydney, Australia, and November 17, in Warsaw, Poland. The next World Congress will be Kazakhstan in 2017.

Founded in 2001, IPMA-USA is a member-driven, not-for-profit USA professional association, formed to meet the unfilled needs of today’s Program and Project Managers, stakeholders, and their Enterprises. We offer advanced, professionally assessed certifications, an oranizational performance improvement assessment standard, and a website filled with thought-leader articles and blog posts. As the USA member of the International Project Management Association, the world’s first project management professional association, we work with over sixty other global professional associations to accomplish our Vision: A World where all projects succeed! More at http://www.ipma-usa.org/

1 May 2016 – Ontario, Canada – Max Wideman has announced updates to his popular project management website, http://www.maxwideman.com/. According to Max:

Ever wanted to know what Program Management is really all about and how to make the best of it? Then read our review of Michel Thiry‘s latest book in our Papers & Books department. Stacy Goff is a returning Guest author this month with his paper titled: Acquiring, Developing, and Retaining Project Talent – How the Right Talent Improves Project and Business Success. In this Part 1, Stacy describes: “Talent Then and Now“.

If you are looking for answers, guidelines or templates, check out Max’s Issacons – “Issues and Considerations” – that are presented in bullet form for quick and easy reference by project managers.

Max Wideman is one of the world’s best-known project management authorities. An engineer and professional project manager, his experience includes systems, social and environmental projects, as well as design and engineering projects. He is a Fellow of the Project Management Institute, of which he is past president and chairman and for which he led the development of the 1987 version of the Project Management Body of Knowledge. He is also a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (UK), the Engineering Institute of Canada, and the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering. His personal web site at http://www.maxwideman.com/ is a source of superior project management knowledge and information. It is free to the public.

Individual and group rates for scholar level access to all resources in the library reduced by 50%

20 April 2016– Dallas, London, Sydney – PM World has announced that it has slashed the membership fee structure for scholar level access to the PM World Library (PMWL). The PMWL is a global online resource for continuous learning related to program and project management. Launched in 2014, the library has seen registrations increase in recent months, now approaching 3,000 in dozens of countries.

Scholar level memberships have been reduced to $50/year, less if joining for multiple years. The per person rates drop even more with group registrations. For information, go to http://pmworldlibrary.net/pmwl-welcome/.

The PMWL contains all works originally published in the PM World Journal (PMWJ), in the PM World Collection where they have been tagged to dozens of key topics. The most recent can be found on the PMWL home page at http://www.pmworldlibrary.net/. In addition, each author whose works have appeared in the PMWJ has a showcase page in the library where her or his profile and works can be found easily.

The PMWL also contains access to many other resources, including books, journals, magazines, blogs, news feeds, public resources, professional resources, major projects, industry-specific information, applications and hot topics, product and service information (marketplace), research resources, other libraries and other information of potential interest to both individuals and organizations.

The Scholar level membership provides access to everything in the PMWL, including access to the following EBSCO Business Source Complete databases:

Business Book Summaries – Summaries of 2,500+ business books published over the last few decades, including important books by such authors as Stephen Covey, Edward De Bono, Peter Drucker, Malcom Gladwell, Seth Godin, Walter Isaacson, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, John Kotter, John Maxwell, Henry Mintzberg, Tom Peters, Michael Porter and many others. To see full list, click here. To see list by authors, click here.

Academic journals including AACE International Transactions, Academy of Management Journal, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Australian Journal of Information Systems, British Journal of Management, European Journal of Business & Management, European Management Review, Engineering Management Journal, International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, International Journal of Project Management, Journal of African Business, Journal of Project Finance, Project Management Journal, South African Journal of Business Management, and hundreds more. To see full list, click here.

Popular magazines such as Cigar Aficionado, Computerworld, Consumer Reports, Enterpreneur, Inc., InfoWorld, Macworld, Money, Newsweek, PC Magazine, Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, Psychology Today, Scientific American, Smithsonian, Sports Illustrated, Time, Wine Spectator and many others around the world. To see full list, click here.

EBSCO’s Newswires – AP wires and thousands of newsfeeds, updated in real time, providing access to top world-wide news from Associated Press, United Press International, PR Newswire, Xinhua, CNN Wire, and Business Wire on a continuous basis. Also includes access to thousands of local, regional and international newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Sydney Morning Herald, Times (UK), Times of India, Toronto Star, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and many more. To see list of newspapers included, click here.

Corporate, industry and market information, including country economic reports from Global Insight, CountryWatch, etc.; 10,150 company profiles; and over 5,200 full-text industry reports. Business Source Corporate also provides additional sources of business, industry and market information including more than one million company listings, 850,000 transcripts and more than 1,600 country economic reports.

According to library director David Pells, “Access to the EBSCO databases for only $50 is not available to individuals anywhere else in the world. These databases are useful for researchers, students and organizations that need to research specific topics or issues. Normally only available through academic or corporate libraries, access through the PM World Library at such a low cost represents the most significant value we have created since the library was launched.”

“We launched a research internship through the PMWL for university students late last year,” Pells adds. “15 students at a dozen universities have joined so far; they are researching various topics and submitting new resources at a very fast pace. The library is growing in both range and content on a daily basis now. So is the value!”

Those who have previously registered for a trial membership can log in using their original ID and password, then upgrade to the scholar level at the new low rates. Or contact [email protected].

The PM World Library (PMWL) is a global resource for continuous learning in portfolio, program and project management (P/PM). The PMWL is produced and maintained by PM World that also publishes the monthly PM World Journal (PMWJ), a web-based monthly publication featuring dozens of articles, papers and news stories about projects and project management around the world. To see the latest edition of the PMWJ, visit https://www.pmworldjournal.net/; to learn more, visit http://www.pmworldlibrary.net/. Follow on Facebook, LinkedIn or @pmworldlibrary.

Editor’s note: Access to all authors and works in the PM World Library is free although registration may be required. See the Scholar Membership for access to major databases of business books, magazines, journals and other resources. If you have any comments or questions, contact [email protected].

First AXELOS PRINCE2® research report reveals framework being adopted by people working in a range of roles in multiple industry sectors.*

19 April 2016 – London, UK – Organizations are far less willing than their employees to adopt agile working methods and are missing out on the benefits such as earlier delivery of projects and return on investment, according to a new global survey published by AXELOS today.

The survey* of more than 2,400 professionals found that more than three-quarters (81%) of respondents – across all job roles and industry sectors surveyed – now see value in working in an agile way. In fact, the appetite to use agile methods among individual professionals is on average 37% greater than their employer’s.

The lack of appetite among organizations for agile working exists despite the finding that people in senior management roles were among the most enthusiastic for it, with 83% acknowledging its value. AXELOS’ research also showed how more professionals with a PRINCE2 certification than those without see the value of agile working.

“The use of agile approaches and techniques has come of age,” explained Nikos Paxos, AXELOS head of programme and project management. “Regardless of whether you’re in a small start-up, building revolutionary apps or working for one of the big banks, the digital revolution has meant that businesses nowadays have to be able to adapt at an incredible rate. For these reasons agile is no longer viewed as niche and people appreciate the flexibility and the potential to deliver results sooner that working in an agile way brings.”

“However, as our research illustrates, organizations seem to lack confidence in adopting agile methods and this has created a disconnect between the belief that professionals have in the value of agile compared with its use in their workplace. We believe that senior leaders, despite valuing agile working, are reluctant to relinquish full control and are concerned with the potential negative impacts of implementing ‘fragile agile’ which can lead to anarchic ways of working.”

Last year AXELOS launched PRINCE2 Agile, which combines the flexibility and responsiveness of agile delivery with the established and proven best practice framework of the world’s most recognized project management method. The new guidance shows how this compatibility can be used by organizations harnessing both PRINCE2 and agile, equipping them with the required skills and processes to successfully deliver projects to meet customer requirements in today’s fast paced and rapidly changing business environments.

The survey also asked respondents for their views on the use of PRINCE2 – the world’s most widely used project management method. Findings include:

‘skills development’ and ‘career progression’ were the most popular reasons (63%) for gaining a PRINCE2 certification

PRINCE2 is being adopted by people working in a wide range of roles, including senior management, engineering and operations – not only those working in project management positions

PRINCE2 is being adopted by organizations of varying sizes, from those employing more than 1500 people to those with less than 99 employees.

Nikos added: “It is encouraging to hear that so many people are gaining value by achieving their PRINCE2 certification. The research also helped to dispel a few myths, such as the belief that PRINCE2 is only used in large organisations. It was interesting to learn that senior management, operations and other functions from across the organization find PRINCE2 valuable, not only to their role, but to their career.”

*Online survey conducted by AXELOS of 2,400 business professionals between the 22 February and 7 March 2016.

AXELOS is the Joint Venture company formed in 2013 by the Cabinet Office to deliver and commercialize the UK Government’s portfolio of Best Management Practice accreditation and publishing services, including ITIL, PRINCE2 and the other PPM products. AXELOS owns the intellectual property of the whole Best Management Practice portfolio and is developing products in new areas. The organization has an ambitious programme of investment and growth focused on establishing an international ecosystem of training, consultancy and examination organizations. Latest news from AXELOS can be found on their website or contact [email protected].

Graduate student at Cranefield College of Program and Project Management in South Africa completes internship for PM World Library

15 April 2016 – Dallas, TX, USA and Johannesburg, South Africa – PM World has announced that Mr. Gary Mitchell has completed his project management research internship for the PM World Library (PMWL). Gary began his internship in November 2015 and completed the program on 15 April 2016. See his intern profile and research results at https://pmworldjournal.net/gary-mitchell/

Gary Mitchell (pictured) has submitted his Master’s degree in Programme Management at the Cranefield College of Project and Programme Management in Midrand, Gauteng, South Africa for examination. Gary holds a National Diploma in Civil Engineering, PMP, Advanced Diploma in Project and Programme Management, and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Project and Programme Management.

The PMWL project management research program was launched in October 2015 to offer project management students the opportunity to conduct research and identify new resources for the library in exchange for recognition, visibility, five years of free access to the library, and introductions to others around the world.

In addition to Gary, other university student interns currently in the program include the following:

Alok Kaushik, currently pursuing Post Graduate Program in Business at MISB Bocconi, Mumbai, India

Anton Setiawan, currently pursuing his Erasmus Joint-Master’s degree in Strategic Project Management European at Heriot-Watt University (UK), Politecnico di Milano (Italy), and Umeå University (Sweden)

Dena Crnkovic, currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Risk Management at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Nitish Mohan, currently pursuing his Post Graduate in Business at Mumbai International School of Business Bocconi in Mumbai, India

Marina Plećaš, currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Building Information Modeling (BIM) at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the University of Zagreb, Croatia

Oke Yusuf Olawale, currently pursuing his Bachelor’s degree in Project Management Technology at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, Nigeria

According to David Pells, PMWL managing director, “Gary conducted research about project failure, providing several resources and stories for the library. Based on his contributions, we set up a new webpage about programme and project failures. It’s a very interesting section for which we thank Gary. I want to thank him for his contributions and wish him good luck with his education and career.”

Gary Mitchell stated, “With the Master’s based on the high failure rate of construction and mining projects, it was an easy choice to continue down this line. It was interesting to research project failures, and fun to see the new section added to the pm world library. I hope they can build on the resources we added. I also hope one of my projects doesn’t end up in that section of the library some day.”

Pells added, “The research internship is attracting some very talented students in interesting and distant places. Their varied backgrounds, interests and perspectives are producing some great new resources for the library. Gary’s contributions were a good example of that. I hope many readers visit the project failures section; it’s actually quite entertaining.”

In addition to Gary Mitchell, two other students have completed the PM World Library internship program this year – Giulia Gasparini in Milan, Italy and Alexander Ehms in New York, USA.

Interns receive a Certificate of Completion and Letter of Recommendation on successful completion. Internship may or may not qualify for university credit (students are responsible for applying for university credit). To learn more, go to http://pmworldlibrary.net/students/ and scroll down to internships. Interested students, professors or university representatives can contact [email protected].

14 April 2016 – London, UK – The Association for Project Management (APM) has announced changes to the APM Code of Professional Conduct in order to reinforce public trust and reassurance in the project management profession. The changes automatically apply from 1 April 2016 to all members of APM.

A member is now required to disclose promptly in writing to the Company Secretary of APM if the member is:

convicted of a criminal offence which could result on first conviction in a custodial sentence

disqualified from acting as a company director or as a charity trustee

dismissed from the public sector as a result of a breach of the Civil Service Code, or

removed from the membership of another Professional Association

Any notification of such an event will be dealt with in line with the Code’s procedural rules. These rules also apply where there is an allegation of a breach or non-compliance with the Code. A complaint form is to be used to register any allegation of a breach or non-compliance with the Code. The completed form should be sent to APM addressed to the Chief Executive.

When to use the disciplinary process: The disciplinary process relates specifically to apparent breaches of the Code of Professional Conduct and notification of the above items.

Other complaints and concerns: Verbal feedback and complaints will generally be dealt with at the time of receipt or by return through the appropriate member of staff at APM. APM plans to satisfy as many customers as possible at first contact. Where this is not possible, customers will be asked to submit details either by webform, e-mail or letter). A full record is kept of all written feedback and complaints.

Founded in 1972, the APM is a registered charity in the UK with more than 21,000 individual and 540 corporate members. The APM is dedicated to the development of professional project, programme and portfolio management across all sectors of industry and beyond. APM, with branches throughout the UK and in Hong Kong, is the UK national representative in the International Project Management Association (IPMA). More information at http://www.apm.org.uk/

14 April 2016 – Sydney, Australia – The Australian Institute of Project Management(AIPM) has announced a Call for Abstracts to present at the 2016 AIPM Inaugural Regional Conference is now open. AIPM is inviting potential presenters to submit abstracts for presentations and workshops for the conference to be held at the Hilton Sydney from 16 to 19 October 2016.

The 2016 AIPM Inaugural Regional Conference in conjunction with IPMA will be attended by over 800 project managers, academics, professionals and policy-makers.

Following on from the conference theme “Project Management: Building Capabilities”, AIPM is seeking papers relevant to the following topics:

Strategy Implementation

Future Proofing

The Project Management Toolbox

Standing out from the crowd

Presentations can be in the form of case studies on projects demonstrating best practice, innovation, or future challenges in a world full of opportunity and change.

For the opportunity to join these esteemed sector colleagues and present your chosen topic, please visit the 2016 conference website for more information on how to submit your abstract today.

Online submission is the only method of receipt of abstracts. The Call for Abstracts closes on Wednesday 11 May, 2016.

Event Partnership packages are also available for organisations to partner with the 2016 AIPM Inaugural Regional Conference, which offer the opportunity to showcase your organisation face-to-face with the decision makers at the largest project management organisations in Australia. For information on how you can partner with the AIPM please contact Michael Berdon, AIPM’s National Corporate Partnerships Manager on (02) 8288 8700 or email mailto:[email protected]?subject=Event%20Partnerships.

Formed in 1976 as the Project Managers’ Forum, AIPM has been instrumental in progressing the profession of project management in Australia over the past 35 years. AIPM’s role is to improve the knowledge, skills and competence of project team members, project managers and project directors. AIPM’s vision is to be recognized by business, industry, and government as the key promoter, developer, and leader in project management professionalism. AIPM is the Australian national member of the International Project Management Association (IPMA). More about AIPM can be found at http://www.aipm.com.au/.

Regional conference in North Texas gaining reputation for quality and relevance – and for source of 16 PDUs

10 April 2016 – Richardson, TX, USA – Early registration is now open for the 10th Annual UT Dallas Project Management Symposium in August. The 2016 symposium will be held during 11-12 August 2016 in the Naveen Jindal School of Management on The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) campus in Richardson, Texas, USA. The theme of the 2016 conference is ‘Project Management: A Key to Business Success’

Presentations each year are aimed at industries and topics relevant to project managers in the North Texas area, including: Healthcare, Information Systems and Technology, Telecommunications, New Product Development, Oil and Gas, Sports, and Public Projects and Programs. Of course, those topics are of interest to project professionals and organizations around the world. Attendees can receive up to 16 PDUs for PMP recertification.

The annual UT Dallas PM symposium is a traditional two-day conference, with keynote speakers each morning and to conclude the event, multiple tracks of professional presentations by both experts and practicing professionals whose abstracts and papers were accepted (through a blind peer-review process), a Thursday evening reception, networking lunches and multiple opportunities to listen to experts, meet new people and increase knowledge. The full program will be announced soon.

The Project Management Program at The UT Dallas provides application-oriented education for professionals with significant project, program or general management responsibilities. Established in the Executive Education Center in UT Dallas’ Naveen Jindal School of Management, students can earn a Graduate Certificate in Project Management, a Master of Science degree with an emphasis in project management, or a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree with project management emphasis. UT Dallas PM program, originally developed in 1997, is accredited by the Project Management Institute (PMI®) and is registered with the PMI Registered Education Provider Program (PMI R.E.P.). For more information, visit project.utdallas.edu.

The PMI Dallas Chapter is a volunteer-based professional association dedicated to supporting the growth and development of project management practitioners, as well as building awareness of the project management discipline and its critical role in business and organization success. With more than 400,000 members in over 200 countries, the Project Management Institute (PMI®) is the world’s largest membership association for project management. Founded in 1984 and with over 4,000 members, the PMI Dallas Chapter is one of the world’s largest PMI components. To learn more, visit http://www.pmidallas.org/

The PM World Journal (PMWJ) is an online monthly publication featuring dozens of articles, papers and news stories about projects and project management around the world. The PMWJ is produced by PM World which also maintains the PM World Library (PMWL), a global resource for continuous learning in programme and project management. To read the latest edition of the PMWJ, go to https://www.pmworldjournal.net/. To learn more, visit http://www.pmworldlibrary.net/.

08 April 2016 – Philadelphia, USA and Bracknell, UK – Hill International has announced that that David L. Richter, the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, has been named a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). Fellowship is the highest class of membership in the CIOB. It is awarded only to those applicants who hold very responsible positions in their chosen field, who have brought distinction to construction and who have added to the prestige of the CIOB.

Richter has worked at Hill for 21 years. Prior to his current position, he served in a variety of roles at Hill, including President and Chief Operating Officer, President of Hill’s Project Management Group, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, and Vice President and General Counsel. Richter is a Fellow and past member of the Board of Directors of the Construction Management Association of America. He is also a member of the World Presidents’ Organization, the Construction Industry Round Table and the American Society of Civil Engineers. Richter earned his B.S. in management, his B.S.E. in civil engineering and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and his M.Sc. in major program management from the University of Oxford.

“I am extremely honored to have received this recognition from the CIOB, a globally prestigious organization that does an outstanding job of promoting professionalism throughout the construction management industry,” said Richter.

The CIOB, founded in 1834, is the world’s largest and most influential professional body for construction management and leadership. The organization is based in the United Kingdom and has a Royal Charter to promote the science and practice of building and construction. The CIOB’s mission is to contribute to a modern, progressive and responsible construction industry, meeting the economic, environmental and social challenges of a global society. For more information on the CIOB, please visit their website at http://www.ciob.org/.

7 April 2016 – Istanbul, Turkey – The The Turkish National Software Engineering Symposium, UYMS’16, will be held at the Terzioğlu Campus of the Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University on October 24-26, 2016. Technical and scientific papers, reports on work in progress and educational seminar proposals are invited.

UYMS is a platform that brings the Turkish software industry together with academicians to share the latest developments and research carried out in the area. Since its first assembly in 2003, UYMS has played a significant role not only in sharing research results, but also in shaping the future of the national software engineering research and development scene.

This year again the aim of the symposium is to cover a rich spectrum of contents for the benefit of all participants.

The language of the symposium will be Turkish, with abstracts in English to be provided with all submissions. Extended and revised versions of the best five papers will be published in a refereed journal.

Full schedule and speaker information for June EVM event in USA posted online

6 April 2016 – Reston, VA, USA – The College of Performance Management (CPM) has announced that the full program schedule for EVM World 2016 event in Florida is now available and online. To access – click here

According to CPM, EVM World is where stakeholders from across the enterprise come to learn, network, address challenges and find opportunities with integrated program performance management.

Register Now [click here] to take advantage of the early bird discount.

Members save $100 on the event. If you are not yet a member, join for $85 [click here] to receive a discounted registration and all of the benefits of being a CPM member.

EVM World 2016 will be held at the Naples Grande Beach Resort in Naples, Florida, USA during 1-3 June 2016.

The College of Performance Management (CPM) is an international, non-profit professional organization dedicated to the disciplines of earned value, performance measurement and project management. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, USA, CPM is the world’s leading source of education and information related to earned value management (EVM) and other performance management techniques. For decades, the CPM Community has been responsible for leading, developing, promulgating and training people on the program management techniques used by the private sector, the U.S. Federal Government and around the world for successful program performance management. CPM is a growing body of professionals dedicated to managing projects that deliver the right outcomes on time and on budget. For more information, visit http://www.mycpm.org/.

6 April 2016 – Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire and Lusaka, Zambia – The African Development Bank Group and the Government of Zambia, on March 29, 2016 in Harare, signed three loan agreements totalling about US $123 million. The funding is for the Cashew Infrastructure Development Project (US $44.2 million), Skills Development and Entrepreneurship Project – Supporting Women and Youth (US $29 million) and the Lusaka Sanitation Program (US $50 million).

The Finance Minister, Alexander B. Chikwanda, signed for Zambia while AfDB Resident Representative in the country, Damoni Kitabire, signed for the institution. At the signing ceremony, Chikwanda encouraged sector and line ministries to seek more concessional financing from the Bank which is cheaper and has more attractive terms such as grace and repayment periods. He welcomed the Bank’s support to Zambia’s ambitious development agenda and highlighted the significance of the signing given that the country will host the upcoming AfDB Annual General Meetings in May 2016. He emphasised that the three projects would help Zambia diversify its economy from copper and improve Zambia’s economic growth rate required to reduce poverty.

Also speaking on the occasion, Kitabire applauded the momentous occasion that demonstrates the Bank’s resolute commitment to support Zambia’s economic diversification agenda towards meeting the Vision 2030 at national level, Agenda 2063 at continental level and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals at global level. He underscored that the roll out of the three projects marked the beginning of the translation of the AfDB’s “High Fives”, an enhanced pathway towards the implementation of the Bank’s Ten Year Strategy to accelerate Zambia’s development, a roadmap that builds on the historical cooperation that dates back to 1965, and has witnessed the financing of over 130 projects worth almost US $2.0 billion.

The Resident Representative also appealed to Government to accelerate the process of meeting conditions precedent to effectiveness and first disbursement for the three projects, so that project implementation can begin in earnest.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) is a regional multilateral development finance institution established in 1964 to mobilize resources towards the economic and social progress of its Regional Member Countries. Headquartered in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, the Bank promotes economic and social development in African states, providing financing for programs and projects across the continent. For more information, visit http://www.adbg.org/.

5 April 2016 – Harare, Zimbabwe – T establishment of an Alternative Trading Platform (ATP) by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe (SecZim) is behind schedule as rules and regulations governing its operations are still under consideration by the country’s Finance and Economic Development Ministry. SecZim is Zimbabwe’s local statutory capital markets regulator, the ATP set-up project was supposed to finish in March 2016 to allow local capital market players to start using the system on 1 April 2016.

An ATP is designed to provide relatively accommodative thresholds and regulations for companies and investors that are interested in trading in securities. But SecZim CEO Mr Tafadzwa Chinamo told the local press last week that the regulator was still waiting for approval of rules and regulations governing operations of the platform by the parent ministry.

“The process is still at the ministry; we sent them a set of the rules and regulations that will govern how the market will operate. So we are still waiting for approval from them,” said Mr Chinamo.

Unlike the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE), companies trading on the ATP do not have to be listed as the system only provides a marketplace for buyers and sellers of securities.

According to the framework released by SecZim in October 2015 when the ATP project was launched, companies that intend to operate an ATP should have an asset cover of 250 percent of total liabilities, US$100 000 insurance cover and positive cash balances. In developed markets, ATPs are used by big institutional investors to trade very large parcels of listed securities so that mega deals do now sway market prices.

The local ATP is expected to boost listed and unlisted companies’ means of raising capital cheaply and efficiently in a challenging economic environment. However, there are concerns the ATP might not be readily embraced by investors owing to the obtaining liquidity challenges. Local Economist Dr Gift Mugano said the ATP was ideal in a “normal situation” and most investors in developing countries were speculative, seeking to make quick returns on capital markets. He added that there were uncertainties over the broader economy that could affect an otherwise noble idea.

The Zimbabwe economy is grappling with low liquidity, depressed global commodity prices and the slowdown in the Chinese economy, a major buyer of local minerals. Such uncertainties, Dr Mugano said, coupled with weak sentiment on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange could dampen the ATP.

“Even if we have an alternative market, it will take the tone of the main exchange, so it will be difficult for both the domestic and foreign investors. As long as we have (a) liquidity crisis in the country and depressed prices of commodities, it will remain a challenge to invest,” said Dr Mugano. SecZim, however, indicated that it has so far received two applications for the ATP, which will be processed once regulatory approval was granted.

“The Ministry of Finance is our line Ministry and anything to do with gazetting rules goes to them first. What we did was to draft rules that will govern the operations of the ATP, presented it to the market for their input, which we will factor in. The ministry wants to know if (we) addressed all the market’s concerns and questions, which believe we did,” said Mr Chinamo.

Last October, SecZim announced it would issue licences for establishment of a flexible trading platform allowing private companies to raise capital by selling securities to the public. In terms of regulation, SecZim will play only a minimum role, limited to supervisory functions over trade and settlements. It is the norm the world over that ATPs tend to self-regulate

Project Management Zimbabwe (PMZ – Project Management Institute of Zimbabwe) is Zimbabwe’s largest Association of Project Managers, with a membership base of over 1000. The institute has a mandate of policing the elevation of project management standards nationally through mentorship and membership services programmes. For information, visit http://www.pmiz.org.zw/ or email: [email protected].

Graduate student at State University of New York at Buffalo completes 16 week internship for PM World Library

4 April 2016 – Dallas, TX and Buffalo, NY, USA – PM World has announced that Mr. Alexander Ehms has completed his project management research internship for the PM World Library (PMWL). Alexander began his internship in late October 2015 and completed the program on 31 March 2016. See his intern profile and contributions at https://pmworldjournal.net/alexander-ehms/.

Mr. Ehms (pictured) is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Supply Chain and Operations Management at the University at Buffalo (The State University of New York) in Buffalo, New York, USA. Alexander holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business and Associates of Science in Business Management, and has completed a four year university level certification program in Business/Environmental Sustainability.

The PMWL project management research program was launched in October 2015 to offer project management students the opportunity to conduct research and identify new resources for the library in exchange for recognition, visibility, five years of free access to the library, and introductions to others around the world.

In addition to Alexander, other university student interns currently in the program include the following:

Gary Mitchell, currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Programme Management at the Cranefield College of Project and Programme Management, Midrand, Gauteng, South Africa

Alok Kaushik, currently pursuing Post Graduate Program in Business at MISB Bocconi, Mumbai, India

Anton Setiawan, currently pursuing his Erasmus Joint-Master’s degree in Strategic Project Management European at Heriot-Watt University (UK), Politecnico di Milano (Italy), and Umeå University (Sweden)

Dena Crnkovic, currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Risk Management at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Nitish Mohan, currently pursuing his Post Graduate in Business at Mumbai International School of Business Bocconi in Mumbai, India

Marina Plećaš, currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Building Information Modeling (BIM) at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the University of Zagreb, Croatia

Oke Yusuf Olawale, currently pursuing his Bachelor’s degree in Project Management Technology at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, Nigeria

According to David Pells, PMWL managing director, “Alexander Ehms was our first intern back in October, helping us work out the process and benefits on both sides. He demonstrated creativity and commitment, and contributed some very interesting and educational resources to the library. Thank you, Alexander!”

Alexander Ehms stated, “I wasn’t sure what to expect when Professor Hayden suggested this program. But it turned out to be educational and stimulating; plus I met some other interesting interns around the world and saw what PM World is creating with their library. I plan to take full advantage of the five year free library membership, which should also be useful to future employers.”

Pells added, “In addition to resources for the library, Alexander also contributed some interesting news articles about projects in and around Buffalo. That was a great side benefit for our readers. Alexander has our gratitude. He now joins Giulia Gasparini as alumni of the internship program.”

Interns receive a Certificate of Completion and Letter of Recommendation on successful completion. Internship may or may not qualify for university credit (students are responsible for applying for university credit). To learn more, go to http://pmworldlibrary.net/students/ and scroll down to internships. Interested students, professors or university representatives can contact [email protected].

31 March 2016 – Buffalo, NY, USA – The University at Buffalo is ever expanding, investing millions of dollars in the local community, and creating opportunities for students and faculty alike. One of their major recent projects has been the construction of the University’s new medical building. On March 22, the University hosted a topping out ceremony, signifying the final beam in the construction process.

colossus at eight stories high, this building has a total of 7,459 steel beams and approximately 7,000 tons of structural steel. The downtown facility, is set for completion in 2017. The new medical building will be the host of 2,000 faculty, staff, and students. The facility will increase population density in the neighboring community, and create further economic opportunities in the form of retail and housing development.

This 628,000 square foot building will allow the University at Buffalo to increase the medical student class size from 144 to 180 and add 100 new scientists. Some of the anticipated partners in collaboration for further research include the UB Clinical and Translational Research Center, the Kaleida Health Gates Vascular Institute, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital, Buffalo General Medical Center, and the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute.

The construction of this site has created 300 jobs with an investment of $375 million dollars. The school has created goals for minority and women business enterprise (MWBE) participation throughout the first and second phase of the project. Made possible by philanthropy and state funding, this project is one of many to come with the school’s NYSUNY 2020 program.

26 March 2016 – Buffalo, NY, USA – On January 12, 2010, a catastrophic earthquake ravaged Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince. The earthquake claimed over 300,000 lives, and recovery would slow. JP Bak and his wife Ulla were determined to help rebuild the capital city. The family began to manufacture permanent housing that would sufficiently re-create a sustainable infrastructure and eventually created manufacturing facilities that would provide jobs and promote the economic development of the region.

the Baks are at it again. The family has fallen in love with the Nickle city, and with the START-UP NY Program, and has created new manufacturing facilities here in Buffalo.

With missions and values focused on social responsibility, BAK USA has recruited many of its employees from Buffalo’s East side, primarily focused on refugees. With a staff of 38 strong, that is not all that BAK is doing for the community. The Buffalo School District has purchased $75,000 worth of discounted tablets, for students who live in one of the poorest cities in the nation.

Now, the company has forged a new agreement to serve as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system. With plans to hire 250 employees over the next five years, this new agreement will catapult the start up’s growth.

Vanessa Mesler, Microsoft’s Corporate Territory Manager is quoted in saying that “BAK devices will enable more people to enjoy Windows 10, which is off to the greatest start in Windows’ history, with more than 200 million devices running Windows 10 globally.”

Note that in this case “Project Management” refers to the whole domain of project activity from the portfolio level, through Program Management down to the individual project. I.e., not just “Single Project Management” (SPM).

If you are looking for answers, guidelines or templates, check out Max’s Issacons – “Issues and Considerations” – that are presented in bullet form for quick and easy reference by project managers.

Max Wideman is one of the world’s best-known project management authorities. An engineer and professional project manager, his experience includes systems, social and environmental projects, as well as design and engineering projects. He is a Fellow of the Project Management Institute, of which he is past president and chairman and for which he led the development of the 1987 version of the Project Management Body of Knowledge. He is also a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (UK), the Engineering Institute of Canada, and the Canadian Society of Civil Engineering. His personal web site at http://www.maxwideman.com/ is a source of superior project management knowledge and information. It is free to the public.

31 March 2016 – Scottsdale, AZ, USA – Dassian, Inc., the leading SAP® add-on software company specializing in ERP solutions for project-centric businesses, has appointed former SAP executive and DCMA leader, Kevin Kane, to the new post of VP of Customer Strategy & Solutions. Mr. Kane, with an extensive 25+ year background in Aerospace and Defense and U.S. government compliance industries, will serve as a trusted advisor to Dassian customers and help accelerate Dassian’s transformation to an industry solution provider.

Early in Kevin’s career, he was a U.S. Government Contract Specialist and served 3 years within the DCMA, establishing policy and providing executive leadership for business system compliance reviews in the area of Earned Value Management Systems. Kevin received special recognition from the joint A&D industry team for his significant contribution toward the original EIA-748 standard for EVMS in January 2002. Kevin and his EVMS team also received the “Hammer” award from then Vice President, Al Gore, provided to leaders during DoD acquisition reform era who developed and fostered reinventing government initiatives.

During the first several years of his 9 year tenure at SAP America, Kevin focused on the successful early adoption of SAP ERP for large enterprise Aerospace and Defense companies. Leveraging his U.S. government compliance background, Kevin, helped SAP mature their A&D industry solution offering in key areas such as actual manufacturing costing and various aspects of business systems compliance. Kevin also led a large Aerospace and Defense consulting practice at SAP Systems Integration, where he and his team delivered complex solution architecture services to many of today’s largest Aerospace and Defense contractors. In recent years, Kevin has been instrumental in providing strategic solution and IT roadmap guidance to this same A&D industry client base.

“I am looking forward to joining the Dassian team,” Mr. Kane says. “We share a common goal in helping project-centric companies achieve more robust and profitable government compliant business processes. I intend to leverage my background in the A&D industry to enable Dassian to better serve their customer base.”

Mr. Kane will work closely with the Dassian executive team under the leadership of Magnus Bjorendahl and Simon Pugsley, Co-CEO’s of Dassian Inc. “Kevin will help further cement our position in the Aerospace and Defense industry as thought leaders and trusted advisors, while also ensuring our customers are tremendously successful. With his knowledge, he will also help accelerate our transformation to become a world-class industry solution provider,” said Magnus Bjorendahl.

Previously, Kevin held SAP A&D Executive leadership roles at EY and IBM. Kevin holds a BS degree in Industrial Engineering from the University at Buffalo, and a BS degree in Mathematics from State University of New York at Fredonia.

Dassian is a global company headquartered in Scottsdale AZ that serves the ERP needs of project-focused industries specializing in SAP-based software solutions in government contract accounting and integrated program management. Dassian is an SAP software solution and technology partner in the SAP PartnerEdge® program. More at http://www.dassian.com/

30 March 2016 – Philadelphia, USA and Athens, Greece – Hill International has announced that it has received a contract from Technipetrol Hellas S.A., an affiliate of Technip S.A., to provide project management support services in connection with construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) project.

TAP is the European leg of the Southern Gas Corridor, a complex value chain of energy projects that links natural gas supplies from Azerbaijan to Europe. Europe needs new sources of gas to meet its long-term energy demand, replace its own declining energy production, fuel economic growth and diversify its energy supply. Natural gas is expected to play an increasingly important role in the European energy mix for decades to come. As the cleanest fossil fuel, it has clear environmental advantages over other energy sources such as coal and oil. Also, it provides an important and flexible energy option in conjunction with renewable energy.

The 870-kilometer pipeline will connect to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline on the Turkish-Greek border, and will run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea before coming ashore in southern Italy. The project is expected to be completed by 2020. For more information on TAP, please visit the project’s website at http://www.tap-ag.com/.

“This is a massive undertaking that will have an enormous impact on the energy supply and overall regional economy of Southern Europe,” said Raouf S. Ghali, Hill’s Chief Operating Officer. “Hill is very excited to be assisting Technip with this important project,” added Ghali.

Hill International (NYSE:HIL), with 4,800 professionals in 100 offices worldwide, provides program management, project management, construction management and other consulting services primarily to the buildings, transportation, environmental, energy and industrial markets. For more information on Hill, please visit our website at https://www.hillintl.com/.

Source: Hill International

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